Stepping into Management Knowledge

CONDITIONING CASK ALE – VERTICAL EXTRACTION Stillage casks as soon as possible If a cask has been left to stand due to lack of stillage space, roll it to redistribute sediment To stillage vertically, tilt the cask away from the keystone and wedge

Allow cask to reach cellar temperature – 11-13 o c This will take about 24 hours

Clean the keystone with sanitiser and a bottle brush

Vent and tap through the keystone with a shank (this must be sealed with a blanking cap)

Open the valve on the shank to condition the beer – this is like a soft spile

Insert rod to bottom of cask, raise half an inch & lock with a tube nut

Once beer has conditioned (1-3 days), close the valve until beer is needed for sale.

When cask is needed for sale, attach a clean beer line and open the valve

At the end of the trading session, close the valve overnight. When the cask is half empty, gently tilt the opposite way to increase yield.

A cask beer should only be on sale for three days once the beer line has been connected – beer life starts once connected to line. Make sure you communicate the date it should be taken off – either on the cask or on a board in the cellar